Street-sweeper



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. A. WILT.

STREET SWEBPER.

No. 448,558. Patented De0.30, 189.0.

FIG I 2 I l- Z3 22 3 Wihgesses:

J, A WILT. 2 Sheets-Sheet, g

STREET SWEEPER. l

Patented Dec. 30, 1890,

PIC-3-2;

( No Model.)

tfoim/A. W26

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN A. lVILT, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

STREET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,558, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed gepteinher 3 1890. Serial No. 363,841. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. lVIL'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented a new and useful Street- Sweeper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to street-sweeping machines; and the objects in view are to provide a simple and economicallyconstructed machine adapted to thoroughlysweep the streets, take up the dirt removed by the sweeper and deliver the same into a receptacle, and to provide a convenient mechanism for emptying the receptacle.

"With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain features of construction, hereinafter specified, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a street-sweeping machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3, a transverse section looking toward the front and taken between the endless carrier and the dirt-receptacle. Fig. 4: is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the center of the machine.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a rectangular frame, to which are secured at the front end thereof suitable draft appliances.

2 designates the axle secured to the under side of the frame and at its transverse center. The axle terminates beyond the sides of the frame in bearings, and mounted upon the bearings are ground-wheels 3, each of which is provided upon its inner side with pulleys, one being a sprocket-pulley and the other being, preferably, a belt-pulley, said pulleys being designated as 4 and 5, respectively.

In suitable journal-boxes 6, located upon the upper side of the frame and slightly in advance of the axle, there is j ournaled a transverse shaft 7, provided between its bearings with a series of disks or pulleys 8. One end of the shaft extends beyond one of its bearings and carries a small sprocket-pulley 9, around which and the sprocket 4 passes an endless sprocket-chain 10, whereby motion from the groundwheel is imparted to the shaft 7 and its series of disks or pulleys.

the end of the chain.

11 designates a pair of depending standards or hangers located in rear of the axle and secured to the frame-work upon its under side, and said hangers terminate at their lower ends in bearings 12, in which is journaled a transverse shaft 13, provided at intervals with disks or pulleys 14:.

15 designates an endless apron of a width agreeing with the lengths of the shafts 7 and 13 between their bearings, and said apron is provided at short intervals with transverse cleats or ribs 17, whereby the apron is converted into an endless carrier, which by reason of the locations of the shafts '7 and 13 is inclined and leads from the ground to a point above and near the front end of the framework.

In rear of the hangers 11 there depends a second pair of hangers 19, which at their lower ends are provided with bearings 20. A brush roll or shaft 21 is journaled in the bearings and extends beyond one of the same and carries a pulley 22, which is driven by and connected tothe pulley 5 bymeans of an endless belt 23.

2t designates an oblong box or dirt-recep tacle, which is located at the front end of the frame-work and occupies that space thereof in front of the endless carrier. The receptacle just mentioned is provided with abottom 25,hinged to the front edge of the receptacle, as at'QG. In journals 27, secured upon the rear wall of the receptacle, is located a rockshaft 28, having rock-arms 29 near its opposite ends. A pair of catches 30 is pivoted in bearing-ears 31, opposite the rock-arms, and the lower ends of the catches are shouldered to engage the under edge of the bottom of the receptacle, and are normally pressed into engagement bymeans of coiled springs 32,10 cated under the tails of the catches. (Best shown in Figs. 2 and 4.) One end of the rock-shaft terminates in an arm 33, and from the same leads a light chain Set, the same passing downwardly to a small pulley 35, thence upwardly to one of the side bars of the frame-work through similar pulleys until it reaches the drivers seat 36, the standard of which is secured to the rear transverse bar of the frame-work. At this point is located a lever 37, and to it is connected By operating the lever the rock-shaft is operated so that the pair of rock-arms is depressed upon the tails of the catches, which withdraws their lower ends from engagement with the hinged bottom of the receptacle and permits the same to swing by gravity downwardly to an open position.

In order to close the bottom or elevate the same into engagement with the catches, I provide a chain 38, one end of which is secured, as at 3!), to the central front edge of the bottom, is then passed through a system of guide-pulleys t0, and finally connected to a pivoted lever ll, by which said chain may be operated to close or elevate the bottom.

From the above construction it will be evident thatthe bruslrroll will thoroughly sweep the surface and will be revolved at a rapid rate, thus throwing all sweepings upon the endless carrier, which is also being rcvolved at about the same rate of speed. Any sweepings not caught by the carrier drop directly back upon the brush by reason of the proximity of the latter with the carrier to be again thrown upon the carrier, and all sweepings engaged by th carrier are carried to the front of the machine and there thrown into the dirt-receptacle. The receptacle having become filled, the operation of dumping the same, heretofore described, will be apparent. In this manner the dirt may be elevated, thrown into the receptacle, and at suitable points dumped in hills, to be afterward gathered up by carts following in the wake of the sweeper. I thus obviate all necessity of the many scrapers and sweepers that usually follow after the swee )ing-maehines and who hill up the dirt as deposited by the machine in the gutters, and by my invention this operation may be carried on more thoroughly and with perfect ease by the driver.

Having described my invention, what I claim is In a street-sweeping machine, the combination, with the frame-work having a drivers seat located in the rear thereupon, an. endless carrier located in the frame-work, a brushroll located in rear of and adjacent to the carrier, and means for operating said carrier and rolls, of a dirt-receptacle located in front of and adapted to receive dirt from the carrier, a bottom hinged to the receptacle, a pair of catches pivoted to the rear wall of the receptacle and spring-pressed to take under and support said bottom, a rock-shaft having rock-arms arranged above and located opposite the tails of the catches, an arm projecting from the shaft, a chain leading to the drivers seat, a series of pulleys for guiding the same, a pivoted lever for operating the same, a second lever pivoted at one side of the beforementioned lever, a chain leading to the free end of the bottom and adapted to elevate the same, and suitable guide-pulleys located between the lever and the bottom, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. WIL'I.

Witnesses:

b. F. BERGEN, W. 'l. S. HADLEY. 

